Choose environmentally friendly packaging with 5 principles from RAJA

Have you considered environmental friendliness in your packaging process? What types of packaging do you use? Are they made of recyclable materials or can the packaging be recycled? These are important questions to ask yourself if you want a greener business. RAJA has created a guide for you around our 5 packaging principles to help you pack more environmentally friendly. See our full environmental policy.

The 5 basic packaging principles

Reduce

Reducing the weight and volume of your packaging has several benefits. First, you’re thinking environmentally by reducing the amount of packaging you use for your shipments. To achieve this, it is important to choose packaging that is better suited to your products, avoiding large voids in your packages. When voids occur, you need to fill in with larger amounts of package fill, which just means larger amounts of packaging. If you reduce the voids instead, you are both thinking environmentally and making financial savings on packaging use. You can also save on transport costs, as more transport companies are basing their pricing structure more on the volume of the package. If you want to know more about reducing transport costs, read more in the blog post 4 tips to reduce your transport costs.

Variable height box:

One way to adapt your packaging to your products could be through a variable height crate. This box can be used for many different types of products and can still customize your product via the grooves on the side of the box. The grooves allow for multiple heights in one box. Simply cut the box to the desired height using the grooves as a guide. This box is perfect if you are shipping products of different sizes.

Packaging adapted to product type:

Another effective way to reduce package bulk is by choosing packaging made specifically for your product. An example of this could be book covers, which is packaging that encloses your printed materials but still provides good protection through reinforced corners and edges. It could also be shipping boxes for bottles. These boxes provide optimal protection for your bottles during transport and avoid excessive amounts of packing. If instead you are sending clothes or other textiles, then shipping bags could be the solution, as they are both light in weight and do not need extra packing either.

Recycling

In some cases, it may be appropriate to explore the possibility of packaging that can be used more than once. This means packaging that can be reused. The advantage of reusing packaging means that fewer copies of the reusable packaging need to be produced. As a result, fewer raw materials are used and less waste is generated. At RAJA we can offer different types of reusable packaging:

Plastic

When you think of plastic, you rarely think of environmental friendliness. But the material is more durable over time than cardboard and paper. So, if you’re after packaging made from tougher plastics, over time these can also be counted on as a more environmentally friendly option. There are different types of plastic packaging that can be recycled. At RAJA, we offer different types of pallet-adapted plastic boxes for storage, among other things. However, we would not suggest using them for shipping packaging unless it is internal. In addition, we also have hard-wearing plastic pallets that are well suited for export and are made from 100% recycled materials. They can be used more times than wood chip or corrugated pallets and weigh less than wooden pallets.

Returnable packaging

Another way to recycle packaging is to allow returns using the same packaging. The solution to this is to choose packaging with a return seal. At RAJA, we can offer a box with a return closure that is both easy for the warehouse to pack, thanks to the automatic bottom, and easy for the recipient to open with the perforated opening. In addition, we also have shipping bags with return closure, both with and without carrying handle.

Replace

It may be worth considering whether there is a more environmentally friendly alternative to the packaging you use for your shipments. Often you can find an alternative with many of the same great features as you have with standard products. At RAJA, we can also offer environmentally friendly alternatives to many of our standard products:

Replace polyethylene foam corner protection with cardboard corner protection, and you’ll get protection that’s also recyclable.

Replace standard plastic tape with paper tape. Paper tape has the same good properties as many types of standard tape. Paper tape is made from sustainable resources as it is made from recycled paper and can also be recycled with the cardboard box.

Replace your cardboard packaging chips with a biodegradable alternative. With a bio-based alternative made from corn starch, you can break down the packing chips with water without leaving toxic waste.

Renew

By using products made from natural materials, you can also help reduce your environmental footprint. This can include biodegradable packaging, but can also include other types of packaging made from natural raw materials.

At RAJA, we have several types of packaging that are bio-based and can degrade without leaving behind hazardous substances. These products can be made from corn starch or potato starch. Within this category we have Flo-Pak Natural, which is made from biodegradable corn starch, in addition we also have a biodegradable film made from potato starch and biodegradable PBAT plastic.

The best known examples of natural materials are cardboard and paper. At RAJA, the production of our cardboard and paper packaging consists of wood from thinning, which is a necessary part of forest conservation. The remaining 30% comes from wood waste and wood chips from sawmills. Much of our packaging is also sourced from FSC or PEFC certified forestry. See our range of cardboard boxes and cartons.

Recycle

Our final packaging principle focuses on how we can move towards a circular economy. Here, it is extremely important to focus on keeping materials and products in the economic cycle for as long as possible. This means, among other things, reusing products more than once, including packaging where possible. This is where, as mentioned earlier in the blog post, returnable packaging or hard plastic packaging, among others, can be chosen.

Of course, it is also relevant to look at packaging that is made from recyclable materials. Therefore, the range of packaging that can be recycled should of course also be expanded. This is one of the reasons why we have made it easy to find the environmentally friendly properties of our products in the catalogue and on our website. Don’t forget waste sorting, too, so that your packaging can be collected and recycled properly.

Key materials that are recycled: paper, cardboard, metal, plastic, glass and wood. When we talk about recyclable materials, cardboard and paper are some of the easiest materials to recycle. Read how to recycle paper bags, for example. Unfortunately, if we look at plastic, it can be a difficult material to recycle. Today, only 42% of plastic packaging is recycled into new products1. See our range of eco-friendly packaging.

1. Source: Packaging Statistics 2017

Want more guidance?
If you’re thinking about switching to more eco-friendly packaging, our packaging specialists are here to guide you. Contact them on 44 58 77 00, info@rajapack.dk or chat on our website.